GC codes

[+toadfrommars]

How are GC codes assigned? Is there some sort of order as to how they were assigned. I looked up Mingo and it is GC30 or something, not GC7 as would be expected, but older caches do seem to have fewer numbers and letters.

 

There is a reason I ask this. I search for archived caches on occasion, and will be searching for I believe it is GC136 (Greensfelder_1) tomorrow. It may be GC138 i don't remember exactly. Will I be searching for the 136th cache placed?

 

Before anyone says it's definitely not there, I found GC15B a few weeks ago, and it hadn't been found for over ten years. Last summer I found so close, yet so far by spinner and it hadn't been found for over nine years, so it's completely possible. Thanks!

Edited February 19, 2012 by toadfrommars

[+Lil Devil]

The very early caches were transferred from the newsgroup to the website in order by state. So they're not in GC Code order.

[+toadfrommars]

I checked on some of the GC codes before GC138 they are close to being in order, with older caches having smaller numbers. There were a few exceptions however, but its safe to say GC138 is in the first 140 caches placed. Oddly, several GC codes indicate the caches were never published O.o Thanks for the above answer also!

[+The Blorenges]

You may like to browse these links:

 

The oldest remaining caches.

 

The first hundred caches listed.

 

MrsB

[+toadfrommars]

Interesting link thanks for sharing! Caches can be archived for so many reasons, many are still out there. It seems many in the beginning of the game would quit playing after a few weeks, after placing a few caches. Those caches soldiered on until one or two people dnf'd it and the reviewer archives it or a 'needs maintanance' log catches up to it. Many are still out there, however, just a matter of finding them.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

How are GC codes assigned? Is there some sort of order as to how they were assigned. I looked up Mingo and it is GC30 or something, not GC7 as would be expected, but older caches do seem to have fewer numbers and letters.

 

There is a reason I ask this. I search for archived caches on occasion, and will be searching for I believe it is GC136 (Greensfelder_1) tomorrow. It may be GC138 i don't remember exactly. Will I be searching for the 136th cache placed?

 

As someone else mentioned the first geocaches were placed before the Geocaching.com site existed. That list of caches was migrated to the Groundspeak site, and assigned GC codes, but not in the order that the caches were placed. After the initial load of caches, the GC number was assigned in order they were published using what was to become an evolving algorithm.

 

Here's a portion of an page on GC Codes from the Help pages:

 

"How are they generated?

 

Each cache listing is assigned a number based on the order in which it is posted - e.g. Beverly, one of the oldest caches, is number 40. Originally, the geocaching.com database translated this number into a hexadecimal code (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E,F,10) with a "GC" tagged onto the front (GC28 for Beverly).

 

Sometime around April 2003, the database reached ID=65535 or GCFFFF - the maximum of four digit hexadecimal. The programmer's used the solution of changing to a base 31 code: 0-9, A-Z with some characters left out. The waypoints were originally limited to six characters because most GPS units only allow six characters per waypoint. In December 2006, the database hit 512401 cache records, which meant that they had already had GCZZZZ, the maximum cache under the base 31 method. The programmer's solution was that next cache would be GC10000 (seven digits). That cache is now a memorial to the rollover.

"

[+Markwell]

http://markwell.us/geofaq.htm#Hexadec

[+toadfrommars]

Honestly I didn't, I sometimes have a hard time navigating through these forums since I do this exclusively on my almost-but-not-quite-smartphone, and didn't realize it was a frequently asked question. Thanks for the helpful answers though.

[+Markwell]

My site is an "off-site" FAQ. No worries.

[+mlrs1996]

You may like to browse these links:

 

The oldest remaining caches.

 

The first hundred caches listed.

 

MrsB

 

very nice lists here

i enjoyed them

thanks for tracking them down and thanks to the ones that put them together